Greif (NYSE:GEF) Issues Earnings Results

Greif (NYSE:GEF) posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The industrial products company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.50, Zacks reports. Greif had a net margin of 7.27% and a return on equity of 7.50%.

Greif Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of Greif stock traded up $2.80 on Tuesday, reaching $83.13. The stock had a trading volume of 212,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 222,352. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $69.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.78. Greif has a 1 year low of $55.75 and a 1 year high of $83.39.

Greif Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 17th were given a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 17th. This is an increase from Greif’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.56. Greif’s payout ratio is presently 95.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Greif news, SVP Timothy Bergwall sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total value of $146,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 63,832 shares in the company, valued at $4,668,672.48. This trade represents a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $412,120 in the last three months. 7.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Greif

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GEF. Simplex Trading LLC boosted its position in shares of Greif by 399.5% in the 4th quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 1,482 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc acquired a new position in Greif during the 4th quarter valued at about $201,000. Odyssean LLC acquired a new position in Greif during the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Mariner LLC purchased a new stake in Greif in the fourth quarter valued at about $220,000. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System purchased a new stake in Greif in the fourth quarter valued at about $221,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GEF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Greif from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Greif from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Bank of America lowered Greif from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings raised Greif from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Greif from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $74.25.

Greif Company Profile

Greif, Inc is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, with a history dating back to its founding in 1877. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company has evolved from a regional barrel and drum manufacturer into a diversified packaging provider serving a wide range of end markets. Greif’s longstanding heritage in container solutions has positioned it as a trusted partner for customers seeking reliable, high-quality packaging options.

The company’s core business revolves around the design, manufacture and sale of industrial packaging products, including steel, plastic and fiber drums; intermediate bulk containers (IBCs); safety closures; rigid, flexible and reconditioned packaging; containerboard and protective packaging.